This invention relates to an aligning-and-feeding apparatus for flat articles such as post cards and envelopes, in which massively-stacked flat articles are aligned in standing state and fed piece by piece.
In a conventional aligning-and-feeding apparatus of this kind, flat articles stacked in standing state are transferred to a feeding section while two sides of the flat article are supported by guide plates. At the feeding section, the flat articles are delivered externally piece by piece by using, for example, a suction belt. When the flat article is transferred to the feeding section, aligning operation is done by vibrating the flat article by means of vibrating means attached to the guide plates.
The vibration force applied to the stacked flat articles is only in the direction perpendicular to the transferring direction of the flat articles to the feeding section in a prior art. Therefore, the density of the stacked flat articles cannot be equalized in the transfer direction, and two or more pieces are frequently fed at once from the feeding section.
In order to feed flat articles piece by piece reliably, it is necessary that flat articles be stacked in softly-contacting state rather than in close-contacting state at a location immediately before the feeding section, and that the stacked flat articles be not urged forcibly against the feeding section. However, in the prior art, no vibration force is applied in the transfer direction, so that the piece-by-piece feeding of the flat articles cannot be performed stably and reliably.